Eel & Ermine

Wedding in Oxford

2012-01-17T12:28:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Mel and Thomas! Their wedding was just featured on an enchanting British blog, Whimsical Wonderland Weddings. More pictures and a Q&A with the bride after the jump!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

Hello 2012!
Do you have a resolution for the new year? Our good friend Katie Hintz-Zambrano, of Refinery 29, compiled a list of new years resolutions for your inspiration and amusement. To be honest, I've already broken mine. At a mere 5 days into the 2012 the lure of my teal velour track pants proved too great...

Awesome December Raffle

2011-12-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends

Everyone who buys Eel & Ermine clothing this December will be automatically entered to win a $100 goft certificate! The lucky winner will be announced New Years Day 2012.

What a way to start the year!

!!Technical Difficulties!!

2011-12-09T22:25:00.000-08:00

OH NO! Our website is down with a nasty google cold. Please stay tuned to our blog and facebook page for great holiday looks and exciting updates!

We should be up and running again soon, but until then please give us a call at 415.345.0006, Email, eelandermine@yahoo.com, or stop over in person. We are located in sunny San Francisco at 514 Presidio Ave. (near California Street).

Hurray for Rachel and Andrew!

2011-08-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

We first met Rachel and her MOH/sister, Hannah, in the spring for a bridesmaid dress consultation. They knew just what they wanted and we were so happy to deliver!

The soft grey was the perfect choice for a foggy Berkeley Hills wedding :)

Our favorite wedding photographer, Edyta Szszlo, was there to capture the special day. Check out her blog for more shots from this beautiful occassion!

Congratulations Debby and Howard!

2011-07-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

It's wedding season, so we thought it would be nice to share some our our Eel & Ermine brides and bridal parties!

Please congratulate Debby and Howard!

We see a lot of happy brides and grooms-to-be around the shop, but Debby and Howard were by far the happiest couple we've ever seen! She picked a simple cotton linen blend to create an underdress to go along with a cotton shift she had found while on vacation. Then we dressed it up with and incredible lace and bead trim. We also used the trim on her veil. The veil is sure to become a family heirloom!

A Savvy Event

2011-03-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

A big THANKS to A Savvy Event for featuring us on their blog this week! If you're in the market for weddinging... They can help keep your cool while planning the perfect event!

Keeping a Watchful Eye

2011-02-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hey-O! Eel & Ermine is flattered and honored to draw your attention to The Feast's very exciting, nationwide compilation: 40 Local Designers You Should Know.... We're on it!

Now keep an eye out for some new spring/summer designs from us and remember that its not too late to snag some of our cold weather gear. Although if you live in San Francisco, winter wear will always be appropriate after 4pm ;)

A Real Live Website!

2011-01-29T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks!

At long last we're building a real website! Don't worry, this fancy blog isn't going anywhere :) The site is currently under construction, but feel free to take a sneak peek! It's going to look a little crazy at times, but it will all come together soon. We'll keep you posted on the official launch date!

Wedding Bells a "Greening"

2010-11-27T12:26:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends! One of our dresses is gracing the virtual pages of Green Wedding Shoes! The dress is actually three separate pieces! Layer one is a strapless sweetheart pencil dress. Layer two is a semi-sheer cotton shift dress. Layer three is a semi-sheer Von Trapp skirt!

Our favorite photographer, Edyta Szyszlo, along with stylist, Megan of Forget Me Knot Weddings created this beatuiful wedding tableau. Please, do enjoy!

Holiday Travel Style!

2010-11-18T10:39:00.001-08:00

Do you have travel plans for the holidays? Ditch that velour tracksuit and upgrade to a corduroy skirt and cropped wool jacket. Your classy new look may earn you an actual upgrade!

Fall into Eel & Ermine

2010-10-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

It's finally time for Fall here in San Fancisco! The afternoon light and crisp air are just wonderful.
Evelyne made a new window display full of paper mache apples that she made at home the old fashion way... balloons, paper, and a big mess! Isn't it wonderful?!

We also added a fancy new window sign. Yes, it's gold. Yes, it's classy.

We're "Liking" on SF Indie Fashion

2010-07-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

SF Indie Fashion came by the other week to check out what we were up to at Eel and Ermine.

We had a great morning hanging out with the lovely blogger Jessica Valez and her handsome assistant/videographer. We are both flattered and mildly embarrassed to share with you our video interview!

Next stop, Toastmasters!

*photo via toastmasters.org

Now Entering Blogs!

2010-06-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

The other week a charming wedding photographer, Edyta Szyszlo, stopped by our shop. We fed her cookies and lured her back for a second visit to which she brought her camera!

Not only did she take flattering photos of the shop, but she wrote a wonderful post on her blog! Please click on the photos to view the full post.

*photos by Edyta Szyszlo

Eel Making Headlines!

2010-06-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

Our very own Evelyne Aikman, the Eel of Eel & Ermine, was recently featured on The Daily Gumboot! Please click on the photo to read the full article!

...now if we could only get that weasely Ermine to do something exciting... weasels.

Kitty Andrews Photo Shoot

2010-06-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Eel & Ermine wardrobed a photo shoot for Kitty Andrew's Millinery! It was a fabulous day full of beautiful hats, facinators, clothing and an assorted cheese plate.

Makeup artist Erin Ben-David and hair stylist Akiha Imazu were on set all day making sure model, Marta Stepowska, was picture perfect at all times for photographer Cid Andrews.

Lighting assistant Maggie Alhadeff snapped a bunch of behind-the-scenes photos that turned out to be pretty great! Please enjoy them!

**random news: the military hat in the the background of some of the photos is from the DDR.

** and yes, Marta is a real live human!

New Article!

2010-05-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

The lovely fashion blogger, Michele Gates, has just published an article detailing our Spring/Summer fashion show! We had such a great time collaborating with the amazing Kitty Andrews and are really looking forward to our Fall/Winter show... details to come...

Until then check out the review in the SF Examiner.

*photo by the dashing Damien Miller

Lovely New Items!!!

2010-05-14T17:22:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-07T23:39:00.000-07:00

It's that special time of year when we celebrate moms far and wide! It's also Eel & Ermine's first offical weekend being open for business. Please stop by our store, located at 514 Presidio Ave, for a celebratory mimosa in honor of great moms and great clothes.

New Shop Photos!

2010-05-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Our new shop is finally open and it looks beautiful (so we think)! Here are a few pictures of the space. Please stop in for coffee or a cookie and maybe even some shopping! If you are in San Francisco, we are located at 514 Presidio Avenue.

Almost everything in here was made from scratch or re-purposed finds (who knew that old fish crate would make such a great table/succulent garden?), so we are pretty proud of ourselves. We are also featuring hats from local milliner Kitty Andrews who hand makes all of her beautiful and one-of-a-kind pieces.

New Shop Photos!

2010-05-06T12:10:00.001-07:00

New Shop Photos!

2010-05-06T12:07:00.001-07:00

New Shop Photos!

2010-05-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

Opening Tomorrow!

2010-04-28T09:26:00.001-07:00

Here's a little glimpse into the work we've been doing on our store. If only we had a "before" shot! We've made just about everything ourselves, from the large work table to the faux wood floor (painted by hand). We're so excited for you to see it all in person!

Grand Opening!

2010-04-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

The time has come... Eel & Ermine is opening their first store in San Francisco!

If you're in the neighborhood or gerneral Bay Area we would love to see you for the celebration.

Logo and Font!

2010-04-05T22:28:00.001-07:00

You like?! We've been working on our font and logo for Eel & Ermine. What do you think?

We're also preparing to open our very first storefront in San Francisco, CA! We'll be posting progress photos soon, so stay tuned... Until then visit us online at Eelandermine.esty.com.

20000 Leagues

2010-02-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

We made a treasury on Etsy today of things we thought would go well with our Seaside Vacation Dress!

Click the link below to see all of the wonderful items we found this morning!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=110460

My Christmas Wish List

2009-12-07T22:44:00.000-08:00

I wish for snow...and and an Hawaiian flower lei (artificial). This looks awesome and I believe that is is, in fact, awesome.

Everyone loves snow cones
The variety of syrup flavors is incredible (cake batter?!)
Any food served in a paper cone is always delicious ( warm candied nuts, county fair french fries, McDonald's Orange Drink at school picnics...)

I don't know about you, but I plan on spending Christmas morn sitting by the fire enjoying a bubblegum snow cone, available in pink or blue! And for you traditionalists they do have a special holiday package featuring red and green syrups of your choice!

Winter Art Fair!

2009-12-02T11:51:00.001-08:00

If you're in the San Francisco area this Saturday, Dec. 5th, come on by SFAI's Winter Art and Gift Sale! Eel and Ermine will be there with some great holiday dresses, bags and other super cute accessories!

If you miss them at the art sale you can check them out on their Etsy page eelandermine.etsy.com

Free Fried Rice

2009-12-01T22:53:00.000-08:00

It really pushed me over the edge...

I love ordering enough Chinese food to merit a free item. Tonight we got to pick, fried rice or chow mien. We went with the fried rice, beef.When my husband picked up our dinner, the man at the restaurant asked if we were having a party. OUCH!

I would have been more upset if this hadn't already happened to me in the past. It was the year 2002, and I was living in Colorado. My friend, Amanda, and I used to frequent a Chinese restaurant called May's. One day when we went to pick up our order the hostess asked how many sets of chopsticks we needed..."five?" she asked. I started to correct the hostess by saying "two", when Amanda put her hand on my arm and interrupted me saying, "Yes, maybe six. Thanks."

Obviously I have a portion control problem when it comes to sesame chicken, but Big Lantern shouldn't have rewarded me with free fried rice!

A Plate of Danish

2009-11-25T16:39:00.001-08:00

Oh danish, how I love thee. Not too long ago I found out that danish is the plural of danish, allowing one to have a plate of danish (plural). I find something extremely appealing about this string of words and often find myself wanting to offer a guest said "plate of danish?". Tomorrow I will live the dream as I am plotting to make a cream cheese and cranberry variety.

Rumor has it danish are quite easy to make so I've included the cheese danish recipe (courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa) below:

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

C'est Vrai?!

2009-11-24T16:22:00.000-08:00

This will be a reoccurring segment where outrageous, strange, cute,and otherwise interesting things will be posted. And yes, this is a piglet wearing mini wellies! I first ran into this little guy over at A Cup of Jo back in June 2008 and can't help but wonder "where is he now?".

The sweet swine got me wanting to either a) dress my dog like one Paddington Bear or, b) get myself a piglet. Well, I got as far as looking into where I might acquire such a precious little guy , who I would put boots on, and then turned back to reality. While perusing this site I realized two things: 1) I obviously need an extreme dandie, and 2) I really, very obviously don't need an extreme dandie. I won't say what changed my mind, but it had something to do with the celebrity endorsement. Well that and the celebrity sized price tag...

The Ermine (or stoat)

2009-11-24T14:08:00.001-08:00

I found this super-awesome antique print from 1813, right here on our very own inter-web and I'm fancying to buy it for myself. I understand what the ermine and stoat are doing together, as they are two sides of the same coin. But what's up with the sea otter? It's almost as if he had been left over from a previous drawing and just didn't have the energy to get out of the way.

Though its our friend the ermine who gets the spotlight in our name (Eel and Ermine) its really the unsung sea otter who I most identify with on any given day.

Now, let me dust off a few cookie crumbs and tell you a bit about why ermines are great!

E Ermines are furocious hunters often going for prey much larger than themselves.
R Royalty used the ermine as a symbol of affluence and purity.
M Myth says: that when being hunted, the ermine would give itself up rather than risk soiling its beautiful coat during the kill.
I I didn't know they were permiscuous...but they are... weasles
N Natural habitat? The ermine is native to the area between the 40th parallel (north) and the beginning of the Arctic Circle which encompasses most of northern Eurasia and North America.
E Even though I've never met one, I have had a run-in with a marmot and he ate my camel-back hose

A few words about Eels

2009-11-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

Please forgive the firstness of this post, I was sure there would be some information about ermines up by now, or stoats at the very least. But since it can't be helped, the eels will open.

True eels are elongated fishes. Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Some eels dwell in water as deep as 4,000 metres (13,000 ft). Others are active swimmers.
Eel blood is toxic to humans, but cooking destroys the toxic protein.
Another thing that's important to know about eels is that electric eels aren't really eels at all. I didn't even know that until I started writing this. Rather, they are knifefish. They can generate a powerful electric shock used for hunting or self defense. The electric eel is also known for its unusual breeding behavior. In the dry season, a male eel makes a nest from his saliva into which the female lays her eggs. As many as 17,000 young will hatch from the eggs in one nest.

Actually, I find eels a lot less interesting now that electric eels have dropped from their ranks in my mind. But that is no way to behave.

I must recall that eels still have many merits. Have you ever met a moray without merit? I have not.

Eels are everything.

Eels can be made in to cowboy boots, they can be jellied, they can be smoked. They are a delicacy because their populations have been abused by overfishing. They are elusive.

Once I saw an eel fisherman at the river when I was young. At the swimhole of all places! He caught one. I was frightened. But of the wrong thing. I should have been frightened of the fisherman. I haven't seen an eel there since. I didn't want to swim there for awhile, I was worried about running into an eel.

Emerging from the eel pit, that is what I meant to say. It's a beautiful day. Eels are lovely.